Tom Stundza, former executive editor at Purchasing magazine and a leading authority on metals and materials pricing trends, will provide exclusive materials-price forecasts as a featured speaker at Foodservice Equipment Reports annual President's Preview E&S Market Forecast meeting

The day-long event is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at the Hotel Orrington, in Evanston, Ill. The annual meeting offers senior manufacturing executives, dealers, multiunit operators and others interested in E&S trends an in-depth analysis and forecast of the market in 2011, in time for most companies' planning and budgeting cycles.

Stundza, who long oversaw Purchasing's commodities transaction-price data, maintained the magazine's Commodities Price Index and forecast materials prices. For FER, he will develop forecasts through 2012 of materials and commodities widely used in foodservice equipment and supplies. With prices for many metals and other commodities on the rise again, these forecasts should be of great use to manufacturers and buyers making plans for 2011 and beyond.

The meeting will also detail data and analyze trends for the general economy and foodservice operators with an eye to their impacts on the E&S market. AutoQuotes Inc. will present exclusive information on E&S-manufacturer pricing trends. The program's annual ranking of the top 100 E&S manufacturers will be updated. New to the program this year will be an analysis of E&S dealer trends. The meeting will close with FER Publisher Robin Ashton offering hard-number forecasts of the E&S market in 2011 and beyond. Attendees receive all presentations and data in both print and electronic formats.

The meeting is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and planned so many in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. can fly in and fly out on Aug. 4. Cost of the seminar is $845 until July 2, $945 afterwards. For agenda, hotel and registration information, go to www.fermag.com/events/index.htm, or call Chris Palmer at 847/336-2049.